1. Technical Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of fuel storage facilities. In particular, the invention relates to above ground, transportable, fuel storage in which fuel tank is mounted in a containment vessel to therein contain leaks and spills. The use of a solar/electric conversion array provides for powered use of the facility in non-developed areas.
2. Prior Background Art
The environment, long ignored, battered and destroyed, is finally receiving a modicum of consideration. This is especially true in the United States. One area of significant concern to environmentalists and the people next door is the leaking of fuels and hydrocarbon products into the earth. Leakage of these materials from fuel tanks and the like migrates through the ground and contaminates water supplies as well. These materials are defined as hazardous.
In this specification, the terms "fuel tank," "fuel dispenser," "fuel dispensing means" or the like are to be considered to be generic descriptors for all hazardous liquids which must be stored and dispensed.
The storage of gasoline at a gas station exemplifies the problem. Underground storage facilities have been used at gas stations for decades. Over the course of years, underground fuel storage tanks tend to deteriorate and develop leaks. A small leak may go unnoticed by inspection of product inventory and sales for long periods of time. Though at first unnoticed, leakage can be significant over time and contaminate neighboring land and underground waters.
In the past it has been common practice to ignore found leaks so long as the cost of the leakage was less than the anticipated cost of digging up and replacing the faulty tank. But for strict environmental protection laws, the temptation to delay replacement of a leaky underground storage tank might be even greater today when removal of a leaky tank also means removal of all soil contaminated by the leak.
Solutions to the problem abound. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,249 was issued to Troy Killman on Dec. 18, 1990 for a safe, underground, fluid-storage system. Fuel tanks were to be stored underground in water tight containment vessels. A removable cover provided access for inspection, maintenance and tank replacement. Installation costs for such a system could be significant.
An above ground solution was suggested by Billy Bryant in U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,046. Here, a fuel tank was placed in a transportable, metal wall containment vessel. The metal walls are ridged to strengthen the them to resist impact by vehicles and the like to protect the tank inside the vessel. Judging by Bryant's drawings, the relatively thin metal walls will offer only nominal resistance to vehicular impact and are likely to distort under fire induced heat. Where fire and a significant tank leak are both present, it is to be questioned whether Bryant's walls will withstand the combined effect of heat and hydro-pressure induced distortions.
Although Bryant attempts to protect his fuel dispensing equipment from vehicular impact, he places his dispenser outside the wall of the containment vessel. This arrangement suffers in that spills and leakage at the dispenser will fall outside the containment vessel. Further, Bryant breaches the side wall of his containment vessel in order to bring a fuel line from the fuel tank (inside the vessel) to the fuel dispenser (outside the vessel). This arrangement threatens water tight integrity of the vessel and, if the breach is sealed, probably transmits impact shock directly from the wall to the fuel line. An impact shock could thereby rupture the fuel line and allow the tank to drain to the earth outside the containment vessel.
It is an objective of the invention to offer an improved solution to the problem of safely storing liquid fuels and the like above ground. A containment vessel which is strong enough to be transported with fuel tank and distribution and dispensing equipment installed within the vessel will be disclosed. The vessel's strength will provide the vessel with characteristic, functioning resistance to impact shock, fire-induced heat, and interior, fluid-induced pressures. A self contained energy source will permit storage and dispensing operations to be carried out in non-developed areas.